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Home › Home › Kundalini Yoga Technology › Kundalini Yoga As Taught By Yogi Bhajan › Kriyas and Meditations› About Meditation
“Meditation is one process through which you can resolve conflict and misfortune, rather than playing it through in real life." ~Yogi Bhajan
Meditation can frequently be blissful or very cozy as the meditative mind establishes a place of elevated consciousness. Sometimes meditation can be downright miserable. Meditation is a cleansing process. You may find yourself observing some very unpleasant, ugly thoughts while you’re meditating. The important thing is, keep up! The mantras and meditation are doing their job. You’re cleaning up and getting rid of negativity that has been covering up the divine light inside you.2
A person who has the patience to allow the mind to go through whatever antics it will, while remaining firmly planted, will experience something. That “something” is different for each individual, but it will be, in some way or another, a reawakening of the self. With this new awareness comes inner change, then outer change.3
The following is an excerpt from a lecture by Yogi Bhajan on February 21, 1978. 1
“Meditation is a process. … At any time which is peaceful – the best is the early morning time, before the dawn – you’ll be surprised, that in a couple of minutes, a lot of thoughts will start coming to you – those thoughts which you do not want to touch – the X-rated thoughts, the ugly, angry thoughts, all those kinds of thoughts. If you let those thoughts pass by, this is meditation. All those thoughts that can pass at that moment of your life can never enter your subconscious mind, and they will not bother you again. This procedure of cleansing the mind, of not dumping a lot of thoughts into your subconscious mind, is called meditation.”
“It takes about three minutes to get those kind of thoughts. And sometimes they continue to bug you for about half an hour. But, if you physically don’t move, the mind becomes still. That is the foundation, or the beginning of the meditative mind. It is a purely physical process. Once your mind starts becoming still and not having any thoughts, you will feel cozy, and that coziness cannot be described even by me. All I can tell you is that it is very comfortable, it is very cozy, and you will want to do it again and again. But in the beginning you cannot do it for a long time. Gradually, as you develop that coziness, this thought-hitting process becomes shorter and shorter.”
Yogic science says that there are specific lengths of time needed for certain desired effects in meditation. Thus, meditations (and exercises in a kriya) are held for a specified period of time.
Meditation Timing
3 minutes: Affects circulation (blood) and electromagnetic field.
11 minutes: Changes glandular system and nerves.
22 minutes: Balances and coordinates the three minds.
31 minutes: Affects all the cells and rhythms of the body and all layers of the mind’s projection.
62 minutes: Changes the gray matter of the brain. Integrates the subconscious “shadow mind” and the outer projection.
2 ½ hours: Holds the new pattern in the subconscious mind by the surrounding universal mind.
There is a myth that when you sit down you should be able to quiet your mind. The mind generates thousands of thoughts per second. When you sit quietly and turn the focus inward, you become very aware of what is going on in the background of your mind. Distractions are the rule. Just keep going back to the mantra or other points of focus. Do not evaluate or react to the extraneous thoughts. Let them be processed by the mantra. Have patience with yourself.1
Meditations are a regular part of a Kundalini Yoga as Taught by Yogi Bhajan® class. You can expect to learn meditation techniques and gain exposure with the support and synergy of the teacher and classmates.
Committing to a personal practice makes this meditation process of transformation and self-discovery your own. To master the effects of a meditation, practice it as a sadhana, as a daily discipline. This will develop a life-promoting habit. Habit controls us so much that it is said that we can actually change our destiny by changing our habits. We can use various cycles of the human mind to help replace unwanted patterns of behavior, with new, more positive ones.1 Choose a meditation that suits your goals and/or inspires you and commit to practicing it over 40, 90, 120, or 1,000 days.
40 days: To change a habit.
90 days: To confirm the habit.
120 days: You are the new habit.
1,000 days: Mastery of the new habit.
Go to the Featured Kriyas and Meditations for a selection of meditations to start your own practice. Also, there are countless manuals and books in several online stores, including at the 3HO World Market and at the Kundalini Research Institute. See the Meditation Guidelines below for suggestions on setting up a successful meditation practice.
When to Meditate: Anytime that works for you, particularly if it is the same time every day. Keep in mind that first thing in the morning, the amrit vela, is best because it sets you for the whole day and is naturally a quiet, reflective time (especially before sunrise). In the evening (at sunset or just before going to bed) is also a good time.
Meditation Location: Choose a place you won’t be disturbed, feel vulnerable, or get distracted. Try to use the same place daily. Make it your spot; you can fill it with candles, flowers, spiritual images and/or pictures of beautiful places, and anything else that is uplifting, calming, inspiring. Sit on a sheepskin, natural fiber blanket or, if needed, a firm cushion or on a chair dedicated for this purpose.
Commit to a Meditation: Whatever meditation you choose to do, to get the maximum benefit, fully commit to doing it for a certain amount and length of time. Keep in mind that 3 minutes a day is more effective than 31 minutes once a week. If you do miss a day, don’t beat yourself up, just start again and keep up!
Remember to Tune-in with the Adi Mantra: Chant Ong Namo Guru Dev Namo three times before beginning the meditation. You can also choose to do a yoga kriya or some warm-ups after tuning in.
Why Meditation: Have a clear picture of what the result of this meditation will be for you. Why have you chosen to do it? The clearer your focus and intention, the more power behind the meditation. You get what you project, so project the result.
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